The Pirate In Chains
by Read-Them-On
Summary: "You won't ever know what's in there!" she yelled and was pleased to see him stop dead in his tracks. "You will spend your entire life trying to figure the map out!" OR a story in which Piper is a pirate and Jason wants the treasure. [Prompt fanfic for the Camp Half-Blood forum. Rated T for slight adult themes (nothing graphic!). Contains a bit of 'Jasper'. R&R! Enjoy!]


**Hey, lovely readers!**

**Percy: Mel! Really?!**

**Jason: Take that, huh?**

**Me: My, why do I do this . . . Now, some things to get out of the way:**

**1\. It's a submission of mine in the Camp Half-Blood forum (check it out; link in bio!) for a dialogue prompt which is too long and is in the story, but I'll just put it here anyway (****"Do you know why you're here?" the prince asked, circling the chained pirate. "I'm wanted for stealing your heart?" the pirate asked playfully, trying their best to hide their fear. The Prince gave a soft, fake laugh. "_Charming_, but you should avoid using quips with me, _lest they get you_** **_killed._").**

**2\. I don't own the PJO/HoO series!**

**3\. Word count without A/N: 1,184 (This was supposed to be 700 word long, but . . . I continued to write as usual. I'm an idiot, I know.)**

****And the most important thing: Enjoy!****

* * *

**The Pirate In Chains**

The room had begun to feel uncannily musty and small the moment _he_ stepped in. Sure, it only held the brunette pirate and her captor, but the thought of _it _alone made her feel claustrophobic and fidgety. Not to mention that her wrists and ankles hurt from being cuffed for almost a day.

"Do you know why you're here?" The Prince of Olympia asked, circling the chained pirate.

He very much resembled a Roman warrior with his close-cropped yet luscious blond hair, powerful stance, and well-built chest and arms that carried a sword. Even his name radiated regalia: Jason Arthur Grace.

And Piper McLean, the pirate in chains, found that . . . attractive, to say in the least.

Sometimes she wondered if falling for her enemies was a bad idea.

Then Piper shook her head, trying to get rid of the unimportant thoughts. She had a mission to complete; a very crucial mission. And she could never even imagine what would happen if she failed . . .

"I can only assume that I'm wanted for stealing your heart?" she asked playfully, trying her best to nudge the map down her boots as subtly as possible.

Jason gave a soft, fake laugh, indicating he knew that she was stalling for time.

"__Charming__, but you should avoid using quips with me, lest you want to live and not die in an untimely manner__.__"

That was the statement she had prepared a retort for. After all, it always came out of the enslaver's mouth one way or another.

"It's not death I'm afraid of," she whispered, almost maniacally. "It's love. It has always been love."

Jason took a staggering step back. He was _not _expecting this.

Piper almost smirked seeing him flustered, all of his royalty going down the drain.

"It is a shame, then," the prince said, placing his sword inside its sheath. "Because I don't go for lowly pirates such as you."

Piper tugged at the chains aggressively and they rattled, filling the room with sharp chimes and clangs.

"Oh, let me out of these chains, darling," she snarled. "You will not be able to resist me once I have my mouth on—"

Before she could finish her sentence, though, Jason lunged at her, grabbing her by her neck. His grip didn't choke her, no. But it was enough to slow down her air supply and after a moment, Piper started feeling woozy.

Still, she could feel his breath on her face, his lips inches apart from hers. Her gaze lingered on the tiny scar on the corner of his lip, which she hadn't noticed until now.

"I know I won't be able to, _Piper McLean_," Jason growled. "_But_, I'll resist you until . . ."

The color drained from her face when she saw him crouch down and slip his fingers inside her boot; more specifically the boot with the map in.

She knew he had found it by the time he stood up.

"Until I get this map, which I do now," he continued, waving the fragile piece of paper in front of her face. "I wonder what is so important in here. Maybe the way to some treasure, huh? Or the way to your long-lost mother?"

Piper felt like crying. Not because of the prince's snarky remark about her mother about whom Piper knew absolutely nothing (except that she wasn't exactly . . . human, and was one of her father's conquests), but because of the fact that she had failed.

It was over. All hope was lost. Her father had entrusted her with just one task, and she had managed to mess it up.

_Or did she? _

A thought struck her mind.

Jason had just turned his back to her and was walking away with the map.

"You won't ever know what's in there!" Piper yelled as confidently as she could and was pleased to see him stop dead in his tracks. "You will spend your entire life trying to figure the map out!"

"And why exactly would that be?" he asked, whirling back to face her, a scowl on his chiseled face. "Is it cursed? Did your sorceress mother teach you some tricks?"

Piper just laughed out loud.

"You really think degrading me will help your case, matey? Or must I say '_Your Highness_'?"

"Oh, look at that!" Jason exclaimed, arching his brows. "The first 'pirate talk' phrase from you!"

"The point is, you will need my help," she reasoned and interrupted him when he opened his mouth (possibly) for a retort. "No, no. I know what you're going to say: we'll find another pirate to decipher the map. It doesn't work that way, sweetie."

"So? I'll find a way to—"

Piper interrupted him again.

"Hush! Try if you will, but you'll never succeed without me. Thus, I propose a deal."

By the way his eyebrows arched upwards, Piper knew she had him hooked.

"I know the map and I can lead you to the big 'X' and whatever there is will be yours," she suggested, hoping desperately that she could pull this lie off, looking him dead in the eyes. "In return, I will just keep the ship and the crew and my freedom."

He nodded and simply walked away, a thoughtful expression on his face.

It took him a whole day of contemplation before he finally agreed to accompany her on the journey.

"Alright, then," Jason conceded. "But beware: your crew is dead, and so will you be if you try anything funny."

Piper didn't reply. Instead, she told him to assemble a ship and a crew and to get himself ready for the voyage.

This _was _her plan, after all.

And the chains were beginning to hurt a _lot_, too.

* * *

Why? _Why_ didn't he kill her the moment he got the map?

A week had passed since the day he had made the deal with the notorious pirate. Jason sat in the dim-lit cabin aboard the ship – The Mermaid's Grail, as she had named it – his mind focussed on that _one_ thing.

Every time he closed his eyes, he would see her bronze skin (which was somehow flawless despite her being a pirate), her choppy brown hair with the parrot feather braided in them and her mesmerizing kaleidoscopic eyes.

Because, even if he tried to convince himself otherwise, he knew he had already fallen for the pirate in chains.

* * *

"FORWARD! FORWARD!" Piper shouted at the top of her lungs, waving her hands in the fresh air of the sea like she had done so many times before, her leadership-side coming into play. It felt like years had passed since she had ordered a crew. "Make it up to the flank speed! I said to the FLANK SPEED!"

Her body still ached from being bound, but her mind didn't linger on that.

Because in her mind, there was only one thought:

_I can't fail you this time, father. And I won't._

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**And done! Liked it? Didn't? Tell me in the reviews!**

**_NOTE NOTE NOTE!_ Guys, if ya want me to continue the story with some ****kinda prologue and/or the next chapters to this one, please tell me in the REVIEWS! Also, FAVORITE/FOLLOW to show me some love and support! Until next time! 33**


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